Where You Can Find Support After An On-Road Injury

Being on the road already comes with unique mental health challenges. Many truckers report feelings like isolation, and getting support for mental wellness can be very tricky. After all, a trucker’s lifestyle means long work hours, and there’s often uncertainty about where you’ll be and when. 

But when you experience an injury while you’re on the road, accessing the right support becomes all the more difficult. You can never know when you’ll get into an accident or experience some kind of medical emergency, and there can be a lot of anxiety around one occurring when in an unfamiliar location. 

Knowing who to reach out to at a time like this is the first thing, and emergency services will never be too far away. However, once you’re home again, and you have to deal with the after effects of being injured while on the road, support services can still feel few and far between. 

That’s something we aim to change. Truckers shouldn’t ever have to feel like they’re out of luck in terms of aid, or that there’s very little they can do to get back on their feet and back in the cab. Rushing the recovery process is never a good idea either, but with your income tied into how many hours you can be behind the wheel, being stuck at home can come with a lot of stress. 

And with all that in mind, we’ve put a little guide together about where you can find the right support for you after an on-road injury. 

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Make a Note of All Procedures Followed

You won’t find direct support with this first step, but it will help you access some of the other support types we recommend on this list. 

Indeed, if you have a full record of how the injury occurred, including what happened, who was involved, and where you were, it’ll be a lot easier to bring your case to anyone capable of helping you. 

You should also make note of what procedures you followed according to company guidelines, such as the safety checks you conducted, as well as how you communicated the issue, and if the delivery client was made aware. This can help with any insurance claims, if you have to make one. 

It can also ensure you have proper documentation to dispute any blame put on you, whether from your company, the client, or anyone else. 

Get in Touch with an Attorney

An attorney is the best professional to have on the case. If you’ve been involved in a road incident that’s left you injured in a way that means you can’t work, or even that your life will be changed forever, get in touch with a workers’ compensation attorney and explain your situation. 

They’ll be able to help you fight to get your case recognized in the face of your employee or their insurance policy, and your chances for a supportive payout will drastically increase. It may take some effort and a lot of back and forth, but taking this issue into the legal sector could make a very positive difference at a time when you most need it. 

Contact a Therapist

Your mental health needs to be taken seriously. As such, look into your therapy options right now as well. 

A therapist will help you work through what happened, help you alleviate the mental symptoms you could be dealing with, and allow you to develop coping techniques that can help get you through your recovery period. 

Some low cost clinics and services are out there, but if you have health insurance, you may be able to use it to visit a therapist who can help as well. 

Join a Support Group

Support groups for those who work trucking jobs are out there, as anyone who works in the heavy goods industry experiences a marked increase in the risk of road accidents and injuries occurring. 

Speaking with others just like you who have been through the same thing can be very healing, and may give you the space to make connections with people who understand your unique situation in life. 

An on-road injury shouldn’t be something you go through alone. If you’re a trucker that’s concerned about getting hurt while on the job, or you’ve been through an accident recently and want to know where to turn, take note of the ideas above. Whether you want legal aid or you simply want to talk to someone about your experience, they can help.